Steuben Senior Services Fund Helps Elderly Age at Home

BATH, N.Y. (WENY) -- About 18 years ago, the Steuben County Senior Services Fund was created. Since then, its mission is to find creative ways to help the elderly out of retirement homes.

"People want to stay in their own homes," said Steuben Senior Services Fund Executive Director, Linda Tetor. "They don't want to have to leave. They love their homes, their pets, etcetera. So we decided we wanted to work hard with the Office for the Aging to create new and cutting edge ways to make that happen."

The program aims to keep senior citizens safe in their own homes by using services like Full Circle America.

"It's utilizing traditional services of the Office for Aging, what the family can do, what the senior can do for themselves, volunteer help and some technology," said Tetor. "So the technology is the real cutting edge part of things. We're actually able to help people using that technology to stay safely at home."

The technology aspect ranges from a variety of things. From having a smart home with lights you can turn on with your voice, to an at-home video monitoring system. With the technology being set up by members of the Steuben Senior Services fund and Full-Circle America.

"We've had some amazing testimonials," said Tetor. "I've had people say it's worth every penny, or it's better than sliced bread."

The services are offered to residents for free for the first 6 months. After, people have an option for a sliding fee scale, based on your income, to help keep the costs affordable. If you'd like to learn more about the program, or to donate, you can call the Steuben Senior Service Fund at (607) 664-2298.